1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to scale devices for weighing freight and other items, that are of the type that are normally stored out of the way, and which can be raised into position to contact and weigh the freight.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An important consideration to manufacturers and shippers, is the ability to be able to quickly and easily obtain the weights of various items prior to shipment, which information is needed for calculating charges and is particularly desirable for goods being shipped by air, due to loading restrictions and other considerations.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,587,670 to Linz discloses a rail-supported transfer vehicle for metallurgical vessels with means for weighing the load supporting thereon. The Linz structure includes an upper and lower carriage with a pressure measuring and load weighing device therebetween, which includes a hydraulic lifting device for the upper carriage, but which device lifts the entire carriage is not protected, nor is it of comparable structure to that of the invention.
Much freight is palletized and characteristically picked up at a variety of customer locations, and then taken to an airport cargo area, or truck terminal where the pallets are assembled with other goods to form a load. Time and space considerations require that structure be provided whereby freight can be weighed at the terminal dock prior to loading or, if desired, can be weighted on the pickup vehicle.
ln some instances, it is more convenient to be able to weigh the freight on the pickup vehicle, and then provide the actual weight to the terminal personnel who are assembling the load, or to be able to provide the weight to personnel who are unloading the freight for subsequent shipment, such as by air where weight considerations are of paramount importance.
The apparatus of my invention can be located at the terminal or on the pickup vehicle to weigh the freight, and provide concurrent advantages not found in prior methods of freight weighing.